East Blue's Beasts
by Team Dragon Star
Summary: Luffy never bothered to think about what would happen in East Blue once he reached the Grand Line. He should have.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: We do not own One Piece**

**...**

"Gin, drink this, hurry, it should help with the pain."

"I don't want it."

"But if you don't have something you're going to die!"

"I knew that the moment I inhaled that poison."

These were the words that Don Krieg, formally the most infamous pirate in East Blue, awoke to. A single hand rose up and rubbed at his eyes as he tried to recall how he had ended up in this predicament. Pushing himself into a sitting position he realised that there was a lot less weight on him than usual. It was during these few short moments that recent memories began to surge forward once again, how his golden armour had been destroyed at the hands of the rubber pirate he had been fighting upon the Baratie.

A vicious crack echoed out as he slammed his fist against the wall next to where he had been laying, alerting all those around him that he had indeed regained consciousness. "Captain," said Gin, ignoring the fact that blood was dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. Krieg looked at the commander of his fleet and at the wreck that he had become. It was clear to see that some number of hours had passed since the battle upon the Baratie had taken place if the lack of colour in Gin's face was any indication. Don Krieg was actually surprised that his commander had survived this long but he guessed that he had to have selected him for a reason in the first place.

Pushing himself to a standing position, Krieg stumbled at first as he leant against the wall in order to prevent himself from falling over, hating himself for showing such weakness in front of his men. There was something he had to do immediately however and the scorching pain raging through his body was not going to stop him by any means. Marching forward, deep breathes escaped his lungs as he moved to where Gin stood, the rest of his crew seemingly parting like torn pieces of paper. Gin sat there knowing full well what was coming his way and embraced the sickening punch that caught him across the jaw with enough force to dislocate his jaw.

"Gin/Don Krieg!" shouted the members of the crew as they looked on in shock at what their captain had done. One of the men rushed down to where Gin's unmoving body was and held it in his arms before looking up to his captain. "You killed him!"

"He was going to die anyway, I merely put him out of his misery," stated Krieg without a hint of remorse in his voice. "Wasting resources on him would have been a waste of time before we journey back to the Grand Line."

"So you still want to go back, captain," stated Gin, making everybody watch in disbelief as he got to his feet. A few turned towards the man who had diagnosed their commander as having passed on to the next life in confusion. "My heart beat is quite weak at the moment, I doubt even the finest doctor would have been able to hear it."

"So now, even at death's door you choose to defy me," declared Krieg looking at the person who was once his most loyal follower.

"It doesn't matter how many men you have, nor how many ships," said Gin as his eyes began to glaze over. "What you lack Krieg is heart."

"Heart?"

"You saw it, didn't you," started Gin as he dropped to his knees, life slipping out of him second by second. "When you were fighting...Straw Hat..."

The last breath escaped Gin's mouth as he fell forward, his face colliding with the wooden boards of the house they were holed up in. Don Krieg however seethed with anger, his hand balling into a fist as veins surged on his temples. Caring not for his desecration of the dead, Krieg stomped onto the back of Gin's head and drove the deceased man's face into the ground shocking everybody else who was in the room at the time.

* * *

Kuro rubbed his temple, his head still slightly pounding. The pirate glanced around the deck of the damaged ship, noting that no one would look him in the eyes. They were afraid.

Afraid he would snap and kill them all.

He sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose, what idiots. It would make no sense for him to kill them out at seas, he couldn't man a ship the size of Bezan Black on his own.

He slowly walked over to the only member of the crew left alive that had any knowledge of smithing. Kuro coldly looked down on the trembling man. "My claws."

The burly man licked his lips, his arms shook as he presented Kuro's signature weapon. The man was weak, Kuro despised weakness.

Kuro slipped on the gloves and inspected the metal before sheathing the claws back into the gloves. "Shoddy work," he muttered, "but it will have to do."

"Oi!" A drunken voice roared from the opposite side of the deck, "who the hell do you think you are?"

The owner of the voice was stumbling towards him, clutching a sword in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. The drunk man's face was red and he stank of booze. "Waltzing back here after admitting that you were going to kill us!"

Kuro's eyes narrowed into slits as the man drew closer, he unsheathed his claws. "I am Kuro of a Thousand Plans, someone far above your caliber."

The drunkard snarled. "Stop using 'dem fancy words, thinking you're better than the rest of us!" The man raised his sword.

It was over in a flash. The decapitated man's head sailed over the edge of the railing and into the sea below. Kuro turned to face the crew. "I don't think I'm better than you, I am better than you. It's a fact."

A few low angry murmurings came from the crowd but no one stepped up to challenge him. "Back to work, the ship won't repair itself". Kuro glanced down at the sanguine fluid pooling at his feet. "And somebody clean this mess up"

Kuro strode over to the captain's quarters, his head was getting worse. Kuro pulled off his deadly gloves and took off his jacket. Damn that idiotic rubber brat, preaching about how his crew were his friends.

How had someone with such a naive ideology bested him?

He collapsed into a chair, his head in his hands. He inhaled and exhaled, calming himself. His brain was one of his strongest weapons, he couldn't waste too much time thinking about his defeat.

A sudden idea struck the infamous pirate captain, the brat wanted to be King of the Pirates. He was leaving East Blue for the Grand Line.

His headache gone, Kuro stood up as a plan began to form in his mind.

"Go and have your merry adventure with your friends Straw Hat Luffy," Kuro spoke out loud, cold anger surging in his obsidian eyes. "But when you return, East Blue will have gone up in flames."

* * *

His men walked in muted silence, no one daring to speak, as they marched behind Krieg down the beach towards the port town. They walked forward with their eyes on their feet, no one daring to look at their captain and the blood dripping down his fist.

A few brave but foolish men had attacked Krieg in a blind fury after he had killed Gin.

Krieg had put all the corpses in a mound and torched them.

Krieg strode forward with purpose, his imposing figure silhouetted against the sun's rays. Don Krieg, terror of East Blue, was heading back to the Grand Line. The few men that still followed him only agreed to go back to that hell on earth for one reason.

Krieg had threatened, no promised, to snap the neck of any man who attempted to desert the pirate captain.

And now they were going to raze the quaint little port town on the island they had seeked refuge on to the ground. They'd storm whatever military base was in the town for weapons before taking over one of the ships docked at the harbour. They'd kill as much as many of the townsfolk as possible as they left.

The less loose ends the better.

Krieg clutched a large butcher cleaver in his dominant hand while his men went in unarmed. "Some of you will die," Krieg announced to the group behind them as they entered the final stretch towards the town, "but if we don't do this...I'll kill every last one of you myself."

A woman hanging up her washing on the side of the beaten road waved to them. "You guys are looking much better than before, leaving already?" Krieg casually rolled his shoulders and nodded. As they passed each other, he sprung. Don Krieg was fast without his heavy armour dragging him down.

Deadly fast.

The woman collapsed to the ground, spasming as her lifeblood gushed out from her slit throat. Krieg didn't spare her a second glance. "Men, you know what to do."

His pawns screamed out their war cries and stampeded past him. More willing to assault a town with their bare hands than to disobey "Foul Play" Don Krieg. Krieg tightened his grip on the cleaver and followed them, missing the comforting weight of his wootz armour.

Damn you, Straw Hat Luffy.

His men had already found a gun store by the time he reached them, the sounds of gunshots and screams deafening him. Men, women and children were gunned down as they attempted to flee.

Krieg pillaged a pistol from one of his fallen men and cocked it. He took careful aim at a fleeing merchant and fired.

Headshot.

Krieg smiled and pocketed the weapon. "Enough!" He roared over his men and within seconds they fell silent, "to the harbour!"

His men fell behind him with ashen faces, blood dripping off their clothes. They found a decent-sized ship that would be easy to man and Krieg gave his men their orders. "Kill everyone on board but one, bring the survivor to me."

"Wait," he called over a small portion of his men, "you guys go get necessary supplies, rations, ammunition, etc." The men nodded and dispersed leaving Krieg to wait.

Five minutes later, two of his men dragged a middle-aged sailor towards him. Don Krieg pointed his gun lazily at the sailor's head. "You're going to do me a little favour."

"A-anything," the sailor stammered as he fell to his knees and Krieg noticed with distaste that the man had pissed himself.

"Tell the villagers that the next time they insult me, Straw Hat Luffy, that I'll kill every last one of them."

The man nodded feverishly and sprinted off. Within hours all the survivors on the island will have heard the name of their attacker.

His crew followed him on board his new ship.

He wasn't called "Foul Play" Krieg for nothing.

* * *

The next day, Kuro was woken from his slumber by banging on the door. He plucked his glasses from the bedside and slid them up his nose. "This better be important," he called out as he rose from the bed, "enter."

One of his pawns burst into his quarters. "Cap'n," he announced, "ship off the starboard brow."

Kuro grinned and slipped on his claws. "I forgive you for waking me up." He strode onto deck and blinked in surprise.

The ship was heading right for them.

Kuro sharpened his claws against each other and gestured to the Nyaban Brothers to join him at the railing. "Black Cat Pirates," he called out, "get ready for a raid!"

* * *

Don Krieg cracked his knuckles, his men ran around the deck like headless chickens as they approached the cat-themed pirate ship.

"Krieg Pirates!" He roared, "get ready for a raid!"

* * *

**Brought to you by Razamataz22 and Dying Grin **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: We do not own One Piece**

**...**

The Nyaban Brothers leaped the space between the two ships with ease. They landed with catlike grace and instantly were upon the other crew. They didn't speak or cunningly pretend to be cowards. They just fought like machines. They had to prove themselves to Kuro or suffer the consequences.

Sham uppercutted a burly man into the air, dodging another pirate's slash in the process. He flipped backwards and performed a handstand, kicking two swordsmen in their faces.

Buchi threw one bald man into two of his allies. He headbutted another pirate, knocking the man unconscious. His fist shot out and buried itself in another adversary's stomach.

The two ship guards stood back-to-back, ready for more. Two crowds surged at them from either side. The Nyaban Brothers smirked in unison.

"Neko-Yanagi Daikoshin!"

Kuro watched them silently from the edge of Bezan Black's railings as their arms became blurs. Slicing and dicing the crowd around them.

Kuro turned to his crew. "I want the ten best marksmen to stay behind and fire the cannons," he ordered, "the rest of you grapple over and join battle.

The crew roared in affirmative.

* * *

Theo Raw was having a bad day to say the least. He had woken up with a horrible cold and none of the medicine on the ship was helping. His nose was runny, his throat swollen and his eyes watery. The incoming cannon bombardment wasn't helping his pounding headache either.

He pinched his nose and maneuvered around the cramped bowels of the ship. He gestured over to one of his underlings. "Why the hell have we stopped firing back?"

His servant wiped the sweat from his brow and cursed. "Sir, this is a merchant vessel."

"I am well aware of that!" Theo snapped, "but we made sure to stock up on extra cannonballs before we left the port. There shouldn't be any problems.

Both men nearly fell to the floor as they felt a cannon smash into the floor above them. "Shit," Theo's henchman cursed, "the amount of cannonballs isn't the problem here."

Theo grabbed the man by the hem of his shirt and pulled him close. "Then what is the problem, pray tell?"

"The cannons are rusted on the insides. The old owners must have never used or cared for them. One of the cannons blew up when we tried to use it, we can't risk firing back again."

Theo's heart sank. "Shit."

* * *

Kuro raised his hand. "Stop firing," he commanded, "They haven't fired back in nearly a minute now. They're obviously out of cannons. No need to waste our ammunition."

His marksmen nodded and stepped away from the cannons, smiling and highfiving each other. Kuro glared at them. "What are you standing around for? Get over to the other ship and join the battle!"

His men scrambled for rope while yelling out apologies. They left the safety of Bezan Black, leaving only Kuro and his thoughts onboard.

Kuro was a patient man if ever there was one, watching from behind his glasses as he watched his crew clash against the enemy with many of his loyal servants being slaughtered against the superior numbers. Looking over his shoulder he was surprised to discover that one of the enemies had managed to slip all the way behind enemy lines in an attempt to kill him and claim the glory for himself.

Admirable, perhaps.

Foolish, definitely.

The pirate bellowed out a vicious roar as he swung his sabre diagonally, slicing straight through Kuro. The smirk upon his face vanished just as the image before him fluttered away, like nothing had ever been there. Before the pirate could even comprehend what had happened his head was removed from his torso, causing a geyser of blood to burst outwards as the body dropped to the ground, Kuro standing behind the corpse and ready for battle. He pushed up his glasses from the bridge of his nose with his palm, careful not to slice himself with the blades which extended from every finger.

Then he vanished.

Confusion reigned supreme as both crews numbers dropped dramatically. Kuro advanced forward, not caring whose blood bathed upon his swords. Moving swiftly through the crowds he danced between both friend and foe, leaving none in his wake. Eventually he came to a stop upon the railing of the ship, blood dripping from his weapons into the ocean beneath him.

"Captain Kuro," shouted his own men, both happy and afraid that their leader had taken to the battlefield.

"Considering the lot of you are incompetent at completing the task assigned to you, I will give you five seconds to return to our vessel before I kill everybody remaining upon this deck," threatened Kuro.

The members of the Krieg pirates immediately thought that the man was bluffing. When every member of his crew however scrambled over the deceased and dying bodies of their compatriots they couldn't help but feel a little threatened. One of the crewmembers charged forward unafraid, intending to impale the enemy square through the heart. The rest of the Krieg pirates had to blink twice as the enemy captain appeared behind the man before any of them had had the time to contemplate what had happened. A single second ticked by before the foolhardy man dropped to his knees, five horizontal lines ripped across his torso deep enough to show both muscle and bone. Another second passed and the man's intestines spilled onto the deck, before the man died without truly understanding what had happened to him.

"Now, allow me to offer you a proposition," stated Kuro as he adjusted his glasses. "Know however that if a single one of you refuses my conditions I will have no choice but to execute each and every one of you with a smile upon my face." Kuro paused for a couple of seconds as he watched the fear settle into the hearts of the men before him, the distinguished smell of urine indicating that one of them had emptied their bladder. "It seems all of you know what lies ahead for you. That makes this negotiation much easier. I will inform you that there are two conditions that are nonnegotiable. Firstly I want you to bring out everything of value you have on this ship. Every. Last. Piece. Secondly, atop the chest I want to have the head of your captain."

The Krieg pirates began looking amongst one another in fear, suddenly feeling that they were stuck on a volcanic island with Sea Kings awaiting them in the water. In front of them was a man faster than any they had ever seen with swords for fingers, intent on hacking his way through all of them if they didn't comply with his demands. Their target however was just as intimidating and with the experience of having followed that man for quite some time, even into the Grand Line, they were well aware of what their captain was capable of.

A sickening thud echoed out on the deck as the door to the Captain's Quarters swung open with such force that it was nearly ripped off of it's hinges. Slow steps drowned out the sounds of the waves crashing against the hull of the ship as the armoured Captain stepped forward, over the bodies of his men without any remorse upon his face. He had waited out the fight, having expected his crew to slaughter the opposition without any resistance but clearly he had been mistaken. With Gin having died and Pearl still in a coma he had wanted somebody to have stepped up to the plate and show that they wanted to become second in command. It seemed however that none of his crew had neither the spine nor the skills to be able to fill in Gin's shoes.

"Now, remember my generous proposition," stated Kuro as he looked at the enemy, noting straight away by the way that the man postured himself that this was the captain of the ship. Also considering that the man wore a bronze set of armour that adorned his entire body and wielded a brutal looking spear. It was a bit of a dead give away, as if calling out 'Kill me and my men will flee.'

"If one of you maggots so much as think of betraying me I will rip off your jaw and shove it down your throat," threatened Krieg.

"My, my, temper," said Kuro as he adjusted his tuxedo. "If I'm not mistaken you would be the infamous Don Krieg, although I must say you hardly live up to your reputation. I was under the impression that your armour was made of something much more valuable but clearly fact and fabrications became mixed in some drunken alley."

A snarl escaped Krieg's lips both at the insult and the memory that his better armour was in pieces at the bottom of the ocean, the plethora of weapons he brandished lost for all eternity. While he had thought that the armour was invincible he was still prepared for anything. This armour had been the first forged specifically for him, and once he had upgraded to his golden armour he had stashed his bronze equipment at his base for safekeeping, never thinking that he would have had to wear it again. "I will take great pleasure in tearing you limb from limb," said Krieg as he prepared for battle. His crew, seemingly understanding that the deck was by no means the safest place to be with these two captains going at one another took the sensible option and leapt overboard and into the water below, believing it to be much more secure.

Rolling his shoulder, Krieg did his best to push the pain he had accumulated from his previous bout to the back of his mind. He focused upon the task at hand. Just because he had lost his best armour meant by no means that he was going into battle without some manner of tricks up his sleeve. Taking the initiative he raised up his left wrist, allowing a small compartment to open up and shoot out dozens of nails as fast as a gun would shoot a bullet.

A loud clang rang out as Kuro's blades scratched across Krieg's chestplate with enough force to indent the metal and knock the bigger man back a step. Snarling, Krieg swung his spear around his body, hoping that the tip would spill the bastards innards onto the deck. Another clang rang out however, notifying him that his attempt had been unsuccessful.

Kuro materialised several feet away from him, the former butler inspecting his arsenal carefully, knowing full well that it would take some manner of time to hack his way through the armour. With an evil glint in his eye he knew that he'd have to go about this in a different way altogether if he wanted to be successful without destroying his weapons.

Krieg blinked before he leant backwards, Kuro having leaped up at tremendous speed with the intent of driving two of the blades straight through Krieg's eyes. With him airborne however that gave Krieg the perfect opportunity to launch a counterattack, two nozzles appearing from above his shoulders which quickly shot fire into the prone form of Kuro.

"Captain Kuro!" shouted the members of the Black Cat pirates, all of them fearing for the safety of their captain. Their worries were misplaced however as Kuro appeared upon the deck once more, the man tearing the smoldering coat off of his body before the lingering flames started to burn at his flesh.

"It would seem as if your defence is also your offence," stated Kuro. "Undoubtedly it will take some manner of time to pierce that armour of yours but thankfully no other appointments require my attention, so I can take all day to dissect you if that is required."

"I'm going to tear you apart you snobbish prick and then I'm going to go after that rubber bastard and rip him to shreds," declared Krieg as he lifted up his wrist once more, this time firing off handfuls of wooden stakes.

"Rubber you say," said Kuro as he weaved in between the stakes with minimal difficulty. "By chance you wouldn't be talking about an annoying brat with a straw hat?"

"Are you in cahoots with that trash?" shouted Krieg in anger.

"By no means," said Kuro as a devilish smirk crossed his features. "I must say however that I now have a proposition for you that would benefit both parties."

"And what the hell would that be?" asked Krieg.

"The head of Monkey D Luffy."

…

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**This chapter brought to you by Razamataz22 and Dying Grin.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter was brought to you by Dying Grin and TheGodfather93**

* * *

Krieg paused briefly after hearing Kuro's proposition. Although the mention of Straw Hat's head intrigued him, as well as the fact that the glasses-wearing captain also had some sort of grudge against the bastard, his face remained impassive. He had to remain the one in control here.

"You've piqued my interest," commented Krieg as a compartment on the right side of his armour opened up, revealing a revolver which he didn't hesitate to pick up and aimed the weapon at Kuro. "But I don't work with just any shitstain who sucks up to me. You have two minutes to convince me why I should take you up on your offer before I decide to kill you. Then, before a second passed, the revolver fired.

Kuro smirked as he tilted his head to the side, letting the bullet whiz harmlessly by his ear. "You certainly are a hard man to deal with, Foul Play Krieg." The bespectacled captain then disappeared from view. Krieg narrowed his eyes and the moment he felt a breeze of wind nearby he raised his arms and crossed them in front of his face.

The sound of blade against bronze was heard, like a knife striking against rock. Krieg grunted in discomfort as as felt three slashes impacting against his chest and forearms, forming deep indentations in his bronze armour. He felt something wet against his right cheek and wiped it with his fingers, only to discover that it was blood. His blood. "But that's exactly why I think you'll be useful," came the cold, calculating voice of Kuro from a couple of metres behind him. "With your brawn and my brains, we can ensure that Straw Hat Luffy's journey suffers a very premature end."

Krieg scowled deeply at Kuro's insinuation that he was dumb. Prepping his shoulder cannons, he did a quick turn and fired two projectiles at the suited man's head. After he had done so, he raised his left wrist and shot a line of stakes at Kuro's legs. "Your attitude pisses me off, and so does your face," he remarked. "I'm far more tempted to take those glasses of yours and shove them down your throat!"

Kuro leapt to the side, dodging the incoming projectiles, before his feet became a series of blurs as he attempted to avoid the stakes. When his dancing came to a stop, Krieg smirked. Despite the bespectacled man's best attempts at defense, he failed to stop one of the stakes from nicking his left calf, leaving a bleeding gash on his slacks.

Kuro tilted his glasses up with his knuckles, then flexed his fingers. If he felt any pain from the blow, he didn't let it show. "I can understand your hesitance," he said. "I've dealt with your type before many times. The need to feel empowered far outweighs any common sense. However, I can assure you this partnership will be nothing but beneficial to the both of us. We work together to defeat a common enemy who has bested us, then we go our separate ways."

Krieg raised an eyebrow. "How do I know you won't stab me in my sleep?" he asked. "I'm scum, but I accept that. You, however, are the kinda guy who skulks in the shadows like a rat, looking to take any advantage he can get." Then he lifted his revolver and fired a bullet straight between Kuro's eyes.

The bespectacled captain sighed as he lifted his blades and deflected the tiny projectile with practiced ease. "Because I have nothing to gain by removing your head from your body, nor do I have anything to lose by killing Straw Hat Luffy. Open your eyes and swallow your pride, Krieg."

Without so much as a warning, Kuro disappeared from view again. However, this time Krieg was prepared. He lifted his left hand and clenched it, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction at the feel of squishy flesh, which he promptly squeezed.

Kuro, whose blades were mere inches from drilling into Krieg's eyes, frowned. Both captains attempted to gain leverage over one another; Krieg attempting to crush Kuro's wrist, and Kuro attempting to impale Krieg. However, neither seemed to budge. Their respective crews looked on in a mixture of fear and awe.

Krieg smirked, but didn't loosen his grip. "Say I take you up on your offer. Aside from Straw Hat's head, which I can just as easily take myself, what's in it for me?"

The suited captain narrowed his eyes slightly. "What is it you want?"

* * *

Sham sighed and grabbed another attacker's sword as the pirate ran forward and threw him back. It was, frankly, getting ridiculous at this stage. "Can we stop with the killing each other crap? Our captains are in negotiations." Though, Sham thought as he glanced at the two titanic men clashing against each other out of the corner of his eye, it didn't really look like negotiating.

One of the enemy pirates stepped up into the gap between the two crews, their No-Man's Land. The pirate raised a pistol and cocked it. "Like hell we're gonna believe that," the man snarled, "you're just trying to make us lower our guard."

Sham pinched his nose. "That would really be a waste of my time."

The pirate roared and fired his pistol… or he tried to anyway. The pistol had vanished into thin air. The man looked down at his right hand stupefied.

Sham, reappearing in his original position, threw the pistol over his shoulder and into the ocean. "Trust me, you'd know if we wanted you dead."

Beside him, Buchi snickered into his palm. Sham turned around to face one of his crew's many swordsman. "Hey, make sure the ship is securely anchored. I think we'll be here awhile." While his back was turned, an enemy charged forward and one of theirs ran forward to meet him. Buichi appeared between them and sent them flying back to their respective sides. Sham massaged his temples. "This is ridiculous."

"It is getting out of hand," Buichi agreed.

Sham noticed someone slowly reaching for their dagger. "Oh come on! Do I actually have to confiscate everyone's weapons?"

Silence.

"Because, at this rate, I'll have to," Sham continued to rant. A particular loud cracking sound made him wince; he then looked for the source of the ominous noise. Krieg had just thrown his captain against the mast. Sham wondered if the ship was going to make it through the "negotiations" unscathed.

Sham clapped his hands together. "Soooo, what are your pastimes?" He cringed as soon as the words left his mouth. In his defence though, he wasn't used to making small talk with the enemy.

Buichi clapped his hands together, taking pity on his partner. "So, do you have any enemies?"

"One," one of the other pirates mumbled out.

"Oh?" Sham raised an eyebrow.

"Some rubbery kid."

Sham smiled like the cat who caught the canary. "It seems we do have something in common after all."

* * *

Kuro sighed as he pushed the broken mast off and lifted himself up. He casually patted down his suit, clearing away the splintered wood, and turned to Krieg with a frown. The armoured pirate was proving troublesome to deal with, despite his best attempts at civility. As patient as he was, Kuro wasn't sure how much longer he could put up with the buffoon before he ran out of patience and slit his throat.

On the bright side, at least some progress had been made, albeit in a twisted sort of way.

"So just to be clear," Kuro began, "once we're done with the Straw Hat business, you want me to help you amass a fleet of ships?"

Krieg nodded from his spot on the deck, a smirk on his face. "Damn straight. But that's just the first step."

Kuro raised an eyebrow. Krieg was planning something? The suited pirate was honestly unaware that the brutish man was capable of thinking deeply, much less being able to formulate a logical sequences of events. "You've piqued my interest. However, I would prefer it if, for the duration of this discussion, you would trying to kill me?" Kuro swept an arm across the deck, taking note of the snapped mask, broken railings, and destroyed barrels among the general wreckage. "As much as I'm sure your crew would love to repair the damage, such a thing would surely set us back a couple of days."

The armoured pirate's smirk fell slightly, and he said nothing, as if he was pondering something. Eventually, he raised his arm. "Alright men, that's enough," he called in a booming voice. "Put your weapons away! No one is to attack anyone unless I give the order!"

To both men's surprise, both crews had already stopped fighting.

"Men, I give you the same order," he spoke in a stern voice, one that didn't quite reach the magnitude of Krieg's, but nonetheless carried the same authoritative tone. "Anyone who disobeys will not be spared."

The few pirates in fighting stances or holding weapons relaxed and stopped.l

However, it didn't last long. Heavy boots thumped across the wooden deck, accompanied by the swishing metal of a sword being unsheathed. A second later, a gunshot rang out across the area, followed by something thick crashing onto the hard wooden deck.

Kuro turned his head to the right and saw a burly pirate in a striped shirt and baggy pants, laying motionless on his back while a steady stream of blood flowed from a hole in his forehead. He couldn't recognise the man, so he must've been one of Krieg's goons. By the looks of things, he had attempted to ignore his captain's orders of a ceasefire.

The bespectacled captain turned his gaze to Krieg, and noticed he had a dark frown on his face. His arm was out, and his smoking revolver was pointing in the direction of the downed pirate. "When I issue an order, I expect it to be followed," he growled. "Let this be a warning to anyone who's thinking of disobeying me."

Kuro scoffed inwardly, but said nothing. Krieg's men were more a ragtag group of bandits than an actual pirate crew. Nevertheless, the armoured man seemed to have made his point. No one else moved a muscle.

"As I was saying," Krieg started, "the first step would be to amass a fleet. The second would be to sail from island to island; looting, pillaging, and raising all manner of hell. Anyone with even a bit of strength that is unwilling to join us will be killed. With Straw Hat Luffy dead and that fish bastard Arlong in Impel Down, there will be no one in this damn sea left to oppose us."

Kuro was surprised. What Krieg was suggesting was basically a mass conquest of East Blue. While he had never considered undertaking such a task himself, as he was more preoccupied with amassing a fortune and living out the rest of his days away from the sea, recent events had… complicated manners.

The more he thought about Krieg's proposition, the more appealing it sounded. Of course, there were complications. The more their notoriety rose, the more forces the marines would send to stop them. Then again, marines were a fickle group, easily bought with golden trinkets and whatnot. And despite his brutish nature, Krieg was a relatively formidable fighter.

Kuro looked the opposing captain in the eye, his face not betraying any hint of emotion. "So you desire the complete and utter destruction of East Blue?" Krieg's silence was the only answer Kuro needed. The suited captain then strode forward confidently and came to a stop just a few feet away from the armoured man, not once breaking his gaze. He then slowly removed his right glove and put his hand forward, smirking darkly. "East Blue shall burn."

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: We do not own One Piece**

**...**

Notoriety was a common thing on the high seas, the amount of Wanted posters scattered around any bar or saloon would explain just what kind of world people lived in. By no means was it a perfect society and more often than not the common folk did not get along with pirates and scoundrels. Very few pirates had the audacity to simply burn and destroy anything and everything they could come across, as such immense destruction would bring the authorities raining down on them.

Which it was, because of this style of thinking that the villagers living on this particular island had no way to prepare themselves for what occurred.

Cannon fire rained down from the sky relentlessly, destroying everything in it's path. That wasn't the worst of it though, as only minutes after the initial destruction whoever had remained alive was given minimal chance to flee into the surrounding wilderness, as pirates ruthlessly mowed down everything in their path. No man, woman or child was safe from their wrath, other than those who had been specifically instructed to be kept alive.

'_Slay all but one tenth but do not let them forget who you are.'_

Kuro's words had been few but were drooling in his accustomed tone of voice, essentially telling both his crew and Krieg's that any screw up to the plan would be dealt with accordingly. Needless to say, the two crews took the threat very seriously.

From the safety of his vessel, Kuro adjusted his glasses as he gazed upon the raging inferno which had engulfed the island. He had felt no need to sully his blades on such pitiful adversaries and had instead opted to use this time to contemplate just what he had gotten himself into. Shifting his gaze to the side he was able to look at the ship that his 'partner' sailed upon.

Unlike himself, who was still believed by nearly the entire world to be dead, Don Krieg was still a name that many feared and as such he was vital in both ensuring that word spread around and that there was someone to shift the blame towards in the worst case scenario. The man, while not the most intelligent man in the world, had onced manage to amass fifty ships to his armada in an attempt to conquer the Grand Line. Fifty ships that were brought down by a single man.

A Shichibukai, sure, but still a man none the less.

The fact that Don Krieg had wanted to recreate his fleet to tackle the Grand Line once more spoke both volumes of the man's courage, stubbornness and stupidity. Sadly since he boasted these traits so openly about how he was invincible, it was also the best way to get other ships to sail under them. It wouldn't take long for the Marines to catch wind of them, they weren't exactly being subtle, however this was East Blue, the sea which many labelled as the weakest. Hence the Marine forces in the area were fodder compared to those elsewhere in the world. Easy pickings as it were.

The main concern he had was waiting for Don Krieg to make another attempt on his life, the cocky man would likely at some point come into full belief that he had no need for an equal. The man was too brash for something like an assassination and he wouldn't risk losing half his crew during a direct confrontation. Kuro was crafty though and would plan accordingly for the day that the cannons were directed at his ship.

He had plenty of time.

...

Much like Kuro had predicted it was but a week later when another pirate ship was spotted sailing towards them. "What should we do captain?" shouted one of Krieg's men who was spoiling for a fight. The rambunctious roar from the crew had Krieg consider his options for a minute. There had yet to be any cannon fire, and if they were that confident that they wouldn't be fired upon then negotiations could be made.

Sure, he could do his old routine, step onto their ship, show off his weapons, kill the first mate before getting them to sign their allegiance to him, but as he gazed through his telescope at the oncoming vessel he could see less than a dozen men aboard the ship. He had encountered a few crews like this before during his time and more often than not, the crew comprised itself on childhood friends seeking adventure together. Killing off one of them would likely cause them to either turn their weapons on them or have them sign up to only bail at a later date.

While they would be annihilated without question, times were tough and every crew member was necessary.

For the moment.

"Kuro!" bellowed Krieg towards the Black Cat pirate ship where the captain was standing, still wearing his suit. A small tilt of the head was all the indication that Kuro was listening. "Let's see if ya can negotiate, we need their men and their ship. Worst case scenario, leave the ship intact."

Kuro hated having to take orders, three years as a butler to a helpless woman could do that to a man, but knew that Krieg had a point in this case. Hence as he armed himself, instead of taking his patented clawed gloves he merely grabbed a single butter knife. The flag they hung in the wind was not recognisable, raising the question as to whether this captain even had a bounty on his head.

A butter knife would suffice.

For many, the jump between ships would be impossible with the gap between them easily thirty feet in length. For someone capable at moving faster than the naked eye was capable of seeing however this was child's play. "Is the crossbones recognisable?" asked Kuro of his fellow captain.

The skull and crossbones in question featured the skull having a vibrant green snake coil around the collection of bones before it's head popped out the eye socket to bare it's fangs. Points for originality.

"No," stated Krieg not feeling as if he should sully his memory with the flags of his potential enemies.

"Very well then," said Kuro as the oncoming ship raised its sails and drifted towards them. At least the crew seemed like capable sailors, it would be a tragedy if he had to kill them all. He had to use that knife to spread his butter and jam after all.

Much like his leap to Krieg's ship, he replicated the technique to land upon the new vessel and succeeded in startling the entirety of the crew who were not expecting to be boarded so quickly. "Which of you is the Captain?" asked Kuro, adjusting his glasses with one hand while concealing his weapon with the other.

"That'd be me!" declared a boisterous voice, Kuro looking to the side to see a taller than average man walking towards them with what looked like a decorated sabre strapped to his waist. Much like the flag above them, this man also had a snake etched upon him, the tattoo escalating up his left arm and onto his face. Intimidating to the common man by all means.

Kuro was not a common man.

"We've come to negotiate sailing under Captain Krieg!" he declared. "I will have words with him."

"Don Krieg and I are in an alliance as it were," said Kuro already hating this man's arrogance. It seemed as though despite the fact they had sailed up to them in good faith this was the first time the man had talked around a fellow captain. As one would expect, he was doing his best to flex his muscles to try and make it look as if he was their equal.

He wasn't.

"Then who are you?" asked the captain.

"I am Captain Kuro and you will negotiate with me mister..."

"Captain Jashi, the snake worth two million beli!"

"Two million beli, cute," said Kuro, loud enough to be heard by the entirety of the crew who became visibly irked by the comment. "Tell me, did you earn your bounty for shoplifting or for not helping an elderly woman with her groceries?"

Surprisingly, Captain Jashi remained silent at the comment. While he didn't recognise Kuro he was more than aware that Don Krieg's bounty was that of seventeen million. If such an infamous man was partners with someone this confident when aboard an enemy vessel than it was safe to say that his bounty was roughly equal to the of Krieg's.

"Very well then," said Kuro glad that his provocation hadn't caused an uproar. "What is it you wish to negotiate?"

"We would like to join your alliance!" declared Captain Jashi, his crew sounding off their approval.

"You would see us as your equal," said Kuro in a threatening tone as he once more adjusted his glasses. "You do realise that you are severely outgunned, severely outnumbered and severely outclassed. You are not our equal!"

One of the crew, clearly having had enough insults being thrown at his captain, pulled his pistol out of his pocket. By the time though he had put his finger on the trigger, Kuro had vanished from sight but he could feel the cold tinge of metal against his throat. The rest of the crew, captain included, took a nervous step back at the sudden realization that they may have been foolish in their quest to sail alongside Don Krieg.

"Allow me to offer you an ultimatum," stated Kuro as he removed the knife from the pirate's throat, ignoring the stench of urine that was insulted his sense of smell. "You will not sail with us, you will sail for us. Not as an equal but as our underlings. You will leave us today and go out to increase your bounty to ten million beli within the week. Failure to comply will automatically result in your release from your services to us and your immediate termination when next we meet. Am I understood?"

The crew looked towards their Captain, who was biting at the corner of his mouth as he weighed up the situation. No matter what way he looked at it, he was a dead man unless he was able to rally his men to the point where they could raise their fame by another eight million beli. A difficult task but one that would be necessary for their survival.

"We accept," said Captain Jashi, clearly upset without how his plan to join had gone down.

"Excellent, I await news of your new bounty in the post," said Kuro. "Now, begone."

With that he vanished from the deck and back aboard Don Krieg's ship. "What happened?" asked the armoured clad pirate.

"Negotiations, nothing more, nothing less."


End file.
